The Broken Chalice

When I was visiting my old friend Pere Jaques at the monastery back in January, one of his parting gifts to me was a special Chimay Chalice– yes, one of those beer glasses especially crafted for a particular beer. It had the Chimay logo on it and I had hoped to treasure it for a long time.

Alas, it broke in my baggage on the way home.

But… I had also taken two bottles of Chimay beer home with me. Desolate at the broken chalice, an idea hit me! Well, it was actually an old idea: cutting a beer bottle to make a wine glass. I had tried really hard to achieve this five or six years ago back in the Philippines when I was furiously cutting and crafting with bottles. However, to make a practical wine glass, your glass cuts have to be perfect. Back then I just didn’t have the tools or the technique there in the village to achieve this, and the realization of the idea lay outside my grasp.

However here in Bali, my friend and bottle master Bhudi has both the tools and the technique! So, last month I brought him my two empty Chimay bottles, told him the tragic story, and asked him to make the cuts for me. He got it perfect and polished. And with a little silicone to attach the top to the bottom, my Chimay chalice is… Reborn!

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Russell is a regenerative designer and inventor based in Bali, Indonesia. He is one of the leaders of the Ecobrick movement in Indonesia and the world. Inspired by the principles of the mandala and his time amongst the Igorot people he works to implementing deep, trans-formative innovations. You can read more in his Regenerative Design Manifesto or follow him on Facebook and Steemit: